Patna: For the last one week, Bihar has witnessed multiple communal incidents resulting in violence. Violence was reported from at least five districts of Darbhanga, Gaya, Kaimur, Bhagalpur, and Aurangabad.
The first incident was reported on July 22 from Darbhanga district. Two communities came face to face for the erection of religious flags near a temple in Bazar Samiti Chowk, which falls under Darbhanga Sadar police station jurisdiction. Stones and bricks were pelted from both sides.
When the police reached the spot to control the situation, even they were attacked.
District police officials said that a first information report (FIR) has been registered naming 70 known as well as some unknown persons under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. The police also arrested several people in connection with the incident.
The next day, on July 23, communal clashes erupted in Dharampur village, located about 12 kilometers away from Bazar Samiti Chowk in Darbhanga. It all started when the Hindu community went to perform the last rites of a local resident, Srikant Paswan, who had died of a heart attack.
According to local sources, the Hindu community went to the crematorium with the corpse and identified a place to perform the last rites. But a Muslim family opposed it, claiming that the land (which was identified for cremation) belonged to them. With tensions rising, police were called in. After speaking to both communities, police told the Hindu side to cremate the body at a different place, and advised them to call Ameen (land surveyor) later to determine the ownership of the land.
Although both parties agreed to it in the presence of police, people of the neighbourhood say the local panchayat chief (Mukhiya), Ajay Jha, intervened and got the Hindu side to cremate the body on the contentious land.
Soon, tensions grew further, leading to clashes. Many houses and vehicles were vandalised.
Sources told The Wire that Ajay Jha is associated with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Police have so far arrested nine persons, including the mukhiya. Local sarpanch Abdu Razik alleged that it was Mukhiya’s actions which resulted in the controversy and later clashes. “It was agreed that cremation would be done somewhere else but Mukhiya convinced the bereaved family to cremate at the preplanned site,” he told The Wire.
“Local police did a good job but chitkabra dress-wearing forces (anti-riot force) had ransacked at least 20 houses of Muslims. The families had fled the village in fear,” he alleges.
The Wire tried to reach out to Jha for his comment on his official mobile number, but it was switched off.
The village where the incident took place is predominantly inhabited by Muslims. There are about just a dozen Hindu families, which belong to the Scheduled Caste.
Local residents from both communities say they had been living peacefully there for a long time until the violence erupted.
The very next day, on July 24, Bariaul village in Darbhanga witnessed communal tensions during the Muharram procession.
Tensions in Gaya, Bhagalpur, and Kaimur
In the next four to five days at least four districts – Gaya, Kaimur, Bhagalpur, and Aurangabad – witnessed communal tensions.
On July 29, communal tensions were witnessed in Momtaz Mohalla under Naugachia police station in Bhagalpur after a firecracker burst in the Muharram procession injuring a girl child.
Naugachia SP Sushant Kumar Saroj said, “The crowd was watching the Muharram procession. Someone in the procession burst crackers which caused a hand injury to a girl. The girl is being given the best treatment. Some youth tried to block the road after this incident but police intervened.”
Sushil, a local journalist, told The Wire, “Bhagalpur has been a sensitive district. Currently, the situation seems to be in control, but tensions are growing. I fear that big clashes may happen anytime soon.”
On July 30, stones were pelted at a religious structure in Parbatti Mohalla in Bhagalpur. City DSP Ajay Kumar Chaudhary told the media, “Antisocial elements have been trying to destroy communal harmony in the area for the last four days. We are identifying antisocial elements from CCTV footage and will register an FIR soon naming them.”
In Gaya district’s Dumaria police station area, two communities clashed when a Muharram procession was passing through the village. Gaya police in a statement said, “Muharram procession was passing through the permitted route. When it was crossing through Balia Tola village, local people protested for playing dhol which led to a minor clash.”
Similarly, a communal incident was reported from Bhabua town of Kaimur district when stones were allegedly pelted on a Muharram procession.
Police termed BJP’s claim as ‘false’
Some media portals ran fabricated news about Darbhanga district’s Bazar Samiti Chowk incident.
Reports claimed that people from the Muslim community placed a flag on the temple, besides pelting stones.
BJP’s Darbhanga MLA Sanjay Saraogi also claimed that stones were pelted on the temple. He wrote on his official Facebook page, “We along with Vijay Kumar Sinha visited the Durga temple on which stones were pelted and violently attacked by miscreants of a vishesh samuday (particular community).”
Police termed the claim “false”. “No one placed a flag on the temple and no stones were pelted. Some anti-social elements tried to create a ruckus defying the decisions of the peace committee,” police said in its clarification.
BJP leaders Sanjay Saraogi and Vijay Kumar Sinha had visited Dharampur village in Darbhanga also. Saraogi alleged that particular community people had beaten up the half burnt dead body of Paswan and urinated on it.
“Is it a punishment for being Hindu? In Dharampur village of Kamtaul police station, a burning dead body of the Paswan community was thrown by a particular community. Victim families said that miscreants of the special community beat up the dead body and then they urinated on it,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
Bihar BJP leaders have submitted a report about it to the Union home ministry. On August 1, the home ministry sent a letter to Bihar chief secretary Amir Shubhani and asked him to investigate the matter and furnish the report to the ministry.
However, the police have termed the allegation “baseless”. “No such incident took place. We were on the spot during cremation. Whatever claims are being made are false. If this has happened, then where is the evidence? Nowadays, everything is being recorded on mobile phones. They should show us the evidence. They are claiming that witnesses said this, but witnesses are not there,” the SHO of Kamtaul police station told The Wire.
Internet shutdown in four districts
Due to communal tensions and the circulation of fake and communally charged content on social media, the state home department had to shut down internet services in four districts.
The first internet shutdown order was issued on July 27 for Darbhanga. “As per available inputs, and reported by the district magistrate and senior superintendent of Police of Darbhanga, some anti-social element in Darbhanga, are using internet medium to transmit objectionable content in order to spread rumor and disaffection amongst the public at large with a view to incite them to commit various offences against communal harmony and cause damage to life and property and disturb peace and tranquility,” reads the order.
Internet was shut down in Darbhanga from July 27 to 30.
On July 29, the internet was shut down for 24 hours in Madhubani, and for 40 hours in Aurangabad district. Kaimur faced an internet shutdown for 40 hours from July 30 to August 1.
Also read: What Explains the Scale of Communal Violence in Bihar on Ram Navami?
In April this year, internet services were suspended for more than a week in Nalanda after large-scale communal violence in Bihar Sharif town during the Ram Navami procession. Internet was also suspended in Rohtas district at that time due to communal violence during the Ram Navami procession.
A deserted road in Bihar Sharif as Section 144 has been imposed after Ram Navami violence. Photo: Umesh Kumar Ray
“Rise of communal tensions in Bihar is indeed a matter of great concern. Hatred is being filled in the common people’s mind which is very dangerous,” Mahendra Suman, a social activist says.
“Bihar is going to witness more such incidents, but sadly ruling parties are not doing anything to stop them,” he adds.
Bihar has also witnessed the lynching of Muslims on suspicion of carrying beef. Three such lynchings have been reported in the last six months and two persons have died.
“Communal tensions and violence around religious events have been on the rise in Bihar. In some cases, well-known organisations are involved, and in some cases, organisations that are not very well-known are involved. In some cases, individuals are involved who are communally charged,” said Sarfaraz, general secretary of the Bihar unit of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL).
He questioned the Nitish Kumar government’s intention in stopping such incidents. “[The] general public narrative is not very keen to condemn such incidents, therefore, so-called secular parties are not found very enthusiastic in taking a firm stand against such incidents,” he added.
“On these issues, Nitish Kumar should take strict actions but he remains silent. He acts neutral. If he remains neural then communal tensions will increase,” Sarfaraz told The Wire.
